meyers



March 10, 1964 Filed March 24, 1961 w r; I a w e. E. MEYERS YARN TEXTURING DEVICE 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 02210): if A/eyenr March 10, 1964 Filed March 24. 1961 G. E. MEYERS YARN TEXTURING DEVICE 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 60min if Maya/v ATTORNEYS s. E. MEYERS 3,123,888

YARN TEXTURING DEVICE March 10, 1964 Filed March 24, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 3/ 37 2 fig.% if 36 g Z6 V z? .70 .33

. INVENTOR Gerda/z i. Alg r-f March 10, 1964 G. E. MEYERS 3,123,888

YARN TEXTURING DEVICE Filed March 24, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Jordan 5 Mayan;

March 10, 1964 G. E. MEYERS 3,123,888

YARN TEXTURING DEVICE Filed March 24, 1961 8 sheets-Sheet 6 a i:- ./Z

INVENTOR Gordan 3 Jig yen ATI'ORNEYS March 10, 1964 cs. E. MEYERS YARN TEXTURING DEVICE 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed March 24, 1961 INVENTOR 602%? it fleywo" ATTORNEYS March 10, 1964 G. E. MEYERS 3,123,888

YARN TEXTURING DEVICE Filed March 24. 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 United States Patent 3,123,883 YARN TEXTURING DEVICE Gordon E. Meyers, Rydal, Pa, assignor to Clarence L.

Meyers & Company, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 98,238 8 Claims. ((11. 23-1) The present invention relates to mechanism and methods for texturing yarn.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 24,023, filed April 22, 1960, for Yarn Texturing Device and Method, now abandoned.

A purpose of the invention is to increase the bulk and provide texture in very coarse or heavy yarns, especially those suitable for the pile yarn of pile fabric.

A further purpose is to avoid the necessity for blowing or otherwise separately bulking yarn after it has been crimped, by feeding the yarn into a path between deflecting elements, moving the deflecting elements into overlapping relation to form a serpentine path and crimping the yarn, heating the deflecting elements, withdrawing the yarn from said serpentine path, feeding the yarn into a second path between deflecting elements with the crimps previously formed out of phase with the deflecting elements now to be used so that the new crimps will be out of phase with the previous crimps, moving the new deflecting elements into overlapping relation to form a second serpentine path which is out of phase with the crimps previously formed, heating said second deflecting elements, and withdrawing the yarn from said second path.

A further purpose is to run yarn in a serpentine path around a crimping drum of larger diameter, then withdraw the yarn from the serpentine path and run the yarn through a second serpentine path around the crimping drum at a smaller diameter so as to compensate for the shrinkage of the yarn.

A further purpose is to withdraw the yarn from said circumferential path between sliders while the sliders are still overlapped.

A further purpose is to provide a more compact and convenient mechanism for bulking the yarn and texturing it.

A further purpose is to permit more accurate temperature control in texturing yarns.

A further purpose is to allow more effectively for shrinkage of yarns during texturing.

A further purpose is to avoid damage to a texturing machine from the forces exerted by the yarn during texturing.

A further purpose is to reduce abrasion and damage to yarn during texturing and particularly to avoid breaking of filaments or yarn ends.

Further purposes appear in'the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate a few only of the numerous embodiments in which the invention may appear, selecting the forms shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic top plan view of one embodiment of the device of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary section on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary enlarged axial section of the rotor in the device of the invention.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional end elevation of the rotor, the section being taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

3,123,888 Patented Mar. 10, 1964 FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary axial section showing the portion of the cam which is sectioned away in FIGURE 4, the sliders being removed.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary transverse section of the rotor, the section being taken on the line 77 of FIG- URE 4.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary plan view from a position slightly off the vertical to permit showing the cams more effectively, and partially in axial section to show the relation of the outside of the rotor to the internal construction.

FIGURE 8 corresponds to a fragmentary enlargement of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 9 is a fragment similar to a portion of FIG- URE 8, but with the section taken at a slightly more advanced angular position around the rotor.

FIGURE 10 is an end elevation in the takeup mechanism.

FIGURE 11 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 but illustrating a variation in which the yarn passes around the rotor twice.

FIGURE 12 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the travel of the yarn in the device of FIGURE 11.

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary section similar to FIG- URE 7 showing the yarn passing around the rotor twice, the second path being on a smaller diameter.

FIGURE 14 is a fragmentary elevation of one of the sliders used in FIGURE 13.

FIGURE 15 is a diagrammatic perspective showing the travel of the yarn in, FIGURE 13.

FIGURE 16 is an elevation showing the yarn prior to texturing, pulled apart to show the filaments.

FIGURE 17 is an elevation showing the yarn after it has passed around the rotor once according to the form of FIGURES 1 to 10 but before the yarn has been blown to open it up.

FIGURE 18 is an elevation showing the yarn it has passed around the rotor twice in the device of FIGURES 13 to 15, without any blowing or other opening up.

FIGURE 19 is a photographic view comparing the yarns of FIGURES 16, 17 and 18.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

In the prior art there has been an extensive development in connection with the texturing of textile fibers, particularly the synthetic thermoplastic textile fibers such as linear polyamide or nylon, as well as acrylic fibers and polyester fibers such as Orlon or Dacron. The texturing operations involve bulking by crimping and also in some cases opening up the fibers, and thus increasing the loft and the effect which in the finished yarn is known as texture. This is particularly important for pile yarn which is to be employed in the face of a pile fabric.

The invention is also very suitable for yarns for sweaters and outer wear.

Serious limitations have existed in the prior art devices and methods. One of the most serious problems is that extremely 'heavy or high denier yarns are required, especially for pile yarn in carpets and rugs, particularly tufted carpets and rugs, but also for carpets and rugs produced by weaving or knitting, and for sweaters andouter wear. In these cases yarns of considerable size in the neighborhood of a 1,000 to several thousand denier, and having from St) to several hundreds of filaments in the yarn end, are employed.

When the heat setting or transformation action takes place, the forces of shrinkage or contraction of the yarn are tremendous, and present serious difficulties from the standpoints of machine construction and maintenance. The device and method of the present invention is particularly designed to function satisfactorily on thermioplastic multiple continuous filament yarn, which develops 3 substantial shrinkage forces in setting or crimping.

While the invention is believed to find its widest application in connection with continuous filament multiple filament yarn, it will be applicable, where a single pass around the drum is used, also to yarn spun from staple fiber of the character which can be textured. This will include the thermoplastic synthetic fibers mentioned above, and also wool which can be crimped.

The yarn which will be employed in the present invention may initially have twist such as producer twist, but before processing by multiple passes around the drum this should be removed and in the case Where the yarn is to pass around the crimping drum twice in order to increase the loft, it is very important that the twist be removed. In the case of yarn made from spun staple or wool or the like, twist will be retained in the yarn, but the yarn will only pass once around the crimping drum.

One of the great advantages of the present invention is that the equipment is extremely compact so that the floor space involved is at a minimum, and very high production is obtained from a comparatively small machine.

In the prior art and in one embodiment of the present invention, when the yarn is crimped it still remains very compact, and lacking in the desired loft, so that an opening technique such as air blowing must be employed. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the yarn is first crimped with crimps of one phase relationship and then is crimped with crimps of a different phase relationship. This has the effect of greatly increasing the bulk of the yarn without the necessity of air blowing, and is an extremely advantageous procedure when maximum bulk is to be obtained. Further bulk can be imparted as by air blowing, if desired.

One of the difficulties encountered in the prior art is that the control of temperature is rather critical. In the case of nylon the temperature used for texturing is in the range of 300 to 400 F. and with other thermoplastic fibers other suitable temperatures will be used. The time of exposure for texturing need only be a fraction of a second or at most a few seconds at the heat setting temperature. For other reasons than merely the texturing of the yarn, however, it is quite important to permit precise control of temperature, because a variation of temperature of even a few degrees during the heat setting of a lot of yarn is likely to change the dye index or the dye aflinity of the yarn and thus cause streaks which are particularly objectionable in large expanses of fabric such as carpets and upholstery. One of the great advantages of the invention is that it lends itself effectively to excellent control of temperature.

-It will be evident that the invention is applicable to yarn for ladies hosiery and for tricot as well as for yarn employed in the carpet and upholstery fields to make up the face of the fabric.

In accordance with the present invention, the yarn to be textured is placed in a slot or path between projections of deflecting elements or sliders which extend longitudinally around the circumference of a rotor, the slot or path extending around the outside of the rotor, then alternate deflecting elements or slider elements are moved longitudinally into overlapping relationship so that the slot or path becomes serpentine or sinuous in form, thus bending the yarn into a serpentine shape, and the yarn is thus carried around the circumference of the rotor and heated by heat transferred from the deflecting elements or slider elements and from the rotor itself, and caused to be set in crimped form. As the yarn moves around the circumference of the drum the extent of overlap of the projections of the deflecting elements or slider elements and therefore the length of the sinuous slot or path is reduced progressively, thus permitting the yarn to shrink or contract without damage to the yarn and to the slider elements by which the yarn is held.

Before the yarn has made a complete turn on the circumference of the rotor, the yarn is removed from the serpentine or sinuous path. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the yarn is actually withdrawn from the serpentine path while it is serpentine, although in another embodiment the path is straightened before the yarn is removed. In either case care is taken not to apply appreciable tension to the yarn as it is withdrawn (beyond that necessary to remove the yarn from the path), since this would tend to eliminate the crimp.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the yarn passes twice around the drum, once at a larger diameter and a second time at a smaller diameter so as to allow for the shrinkage which has occurred. The crimps applied the first and second time around the drum are out of phase with one another. Actually some of the crimp applied on the first time around the drum is retained on the second time around.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the drum has a plurality of slots or paths so that several different yarn ends can pass around the same drum. If desired, a group of yarn ends can run through the same slot or path.

In considering the drawings in detail, reference will first be had to the form of FIGURES l to 10, inclusive. I illustrate a rotor or a cylinder 20 of suitable metal which is mounted on a metallic core 21 which surrounds and is keyed to a shaft 22 at the center. The shaft is journalled at the opposite ends in self-aligned bearings 23 suitably mounted on a frame 24. The shaft is conveniently driven by an electric motor 2 5 through a chain drive 25'. Extending longitudinally throughout the circumference of the rotor or cylinder 20 are longitudinally and radially extending slots 26 which are conveniently machined in the rotor, or if desired, may be built up by fabricating the motor from several parts. The slots are equal circumferential distances apart and spaced sufficiently so that there will be room for the yarn to extend longitudinally in the space between one slot and the next when the slider elements overlap.

In the slots 26 and extending longitudinally of the rotor are crimping deflecting elements or slider elements 27 which are suitably spring strips of metal such as steel or the like. The slider elements 27 are placed in every alternate slot, and have projections or teeth 28 protruding therefrom radially and spaced apart at an adequate distance to form circumferentially extending slots 30 between adjoining sets of projections 28.

In the alternate radial slots 26 of the rotor are crimping deflecting elements 27' as best seen in FIGURE 9, which have similar radial projections or teeth 23 and/ or initially circumferentially aligned slots 30 throughout the intermediate portions, but at opposite ends at 31 the last radial projection which is acted on by the cam to be described is omitted, so that the intermediate crimping elements 27 do not respond to the cams in respect to longitudinal motion as later explained, but are longitudinally stationary.

Thus, it will be evident that except when the slider elements 27 are displaced by the earns, the projections or teeth 28 on the relative slider elements 27 and 27 are in line circumferentially and the paths or slots 36 are in line circumferentially except near the ends, where no crimping is done.

The crimping elements 27 and 27' near the opposite ends have holding portions 32 of reduced radial extent, and these end portions are surrounded by an inner cam hub 33 and an outer holding hub 34 at one end, held by a bracket 35 mounted on the frame, and are surrounded at the other end by an inner cam hub 36 surrounded by an outer holding hub 37 mounted on the bracket 38 secured to the frame.

The respective cam hubs are adjustable circumferentially with relation to their surrounding holding hubs by adjusting screws 40 in slots 41 as best seen in FIG- URES 7 and 8.

The crimping or deflecting elements 27 and 27 are restrained against excessive movement lengthwise in one direction by a ring 42 secured to the rotor by screws 43. The opposite ends of the elements 27 and 27' have enough freedom to expand and contract but the projection near the opposite end is engaged by the cam around most of the circumference. It will be evident that the cam hubs remain stationary as the rotor turns.

Yarn 4-4- from a suitable yarn source 4-5 which may be a creel, a beam, or a series of packages or the like, is withdrawn in the direction of the arrows as shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2 through a suitable tensioning device 46 and around a lease-rod 47 and through one of a series of yarn feeding eyes 48, and enters one of the slots or paths 3d) at a position where the slot or path is straight as shown at 54},- in FIGURE 8, due to a straight portion 51 of cam 36 which engages the endmost projections 28 of deflecting or crimping elements 27.

Unless the yarn is free from twist, it should be run through a device as well known in the art to remove all twist before it is fed to the crimping elements, if it is to pass around the drum twice as later explained, but this is not necessary if the yarn is to pass around the drum only once.

As the rotor turns, the endmost projections 28 of the alternate crimping elements 27 encounter slope portion 52 of cam 36 as best seen in FIGURE 8, and this causes the crimping elements 27 to move one projection distance longitudinally until the projections 28 of the elements 27 overlap the projections 28 of the elements 27' to form a serpentine or sinuous path in which the yarn will be shaped into a serpentine or sinuous shape 53 around the projections. It will be evident that the crimping elements 27 do not move axially but simply remain in the same axial position.

The contraction force of the sepentine yarn tends to pull the crimping elements 27 toward the cam 36 and tends to pull the crimping elements 27 toward the end ring 42. Crimping elements 27 and 27 have some freedom because the space between the cams or between the end plate and the cam is slightly greater than the corresponding spacing on the elements 27 and 27'.

At intervals in the metallic core 21 are longitudinal openings 54- which receive electric heating elements 55 which are supplied with electric current by leads 56 connected to slip rings 57 and 58 mounted on and insulated from the shaft 22 and from one another, the slip rings receiving electric heating current from leads 65 through brushes 61 from a suitable power source 62 through a pyrometer controller 63. The heating elements are of a commercial type. One side of the heater is desirably connected through the rotor.

One of the openings through the rotor core 21 has a pyrometer well 64 which receives a thermocouple which is suitably electrically connected to slip rings 65 and 66 mounted on but electrically insulated from the shaft 22 and from one another, which connect through brushes d! to leads 68 from the pyrometer controller, holding a suitable heat setting temperature which for nylon may be in the range of 300 or 400 F. and suitably about 350 F., and for other crimpable fibers will be set at another suitable heat setting temperature.

The heat passes outward to the crimping elements and they cause the yarn to be heat set in crimped form as shown in FIGURE 8.

As best seen in FIGURE '6, beyond the slope 52 the cam 36 has a portion 70, which appears straight at FI URE 8, but which, as shown in FIGURE 6, slopes downward and away from the other cam to reduce the extent of overlap of the crimping elements 27 and 27' and thus allow for the shrinkage or contraction which takes place as the heat setting or crimping action occurs. This is suggested by a dimension 71, which in a cylinder diameter of 3%" has given good results at a value of the order of 0.0110, but which will vary for different yarn materials.

The time of exposure to the heat need only be very brief, of the order of a fraction of a second or a few seconds, but it takes time for the fiber to be heated up to the proper heat setting temperature.

At the far side of the path of the rotor, the cam 33 has a sloping surface 72 which gradually pushes the overlapped crimping elements 27 back to their initial position in cooperation with slope surface 73 on cam 37 as best seen in FIGURE 8. The space between the slopes is slightly more than the distance between projections 28 on the elements 27.

This causes the yarn now erimped as shown at 74 in FIGURE 2 to be free from lateral restraint, and the yarn is then withdrawn over lease-rod 75 substantially free from tension. As later explained it is not necessary to release the yarn from lateral restraint, as it can be removed prior to this with little tension. During this time the yarn cools below heat setting temperature, after which tension can be applied by tensioning device '76. The yarn may then be passed through an air chamber 77 as well known in the art where it is subjected to a blast of air '77 which enters the side of the fibers at a forward angle and tends to open up the fibers and increase the left, after which the yarn is Withdrawn through a driven feed roll '78 driven by a shaft 8% through pulleys and belts '31 from a motor 25 The driven roll has in cooperation resting on the yarn under the weight of the roll, an additional roll d2 in suitable bearings. The yarn then passes to a suitable take-off. If desired, instead of the double roll arrangement shown in FIGURE 2, the yarn can be wound on a spool 83 driven by the shaft 80 as shown in FIGURE :10, being sure not to apply substantial tension at 74.

It Will be evident that the yarn enters the crimping slot or path suitably in a tangential direction to the rotor and then travels circumferentially of the rotor and the alternate crimping elements move into overlapping relation so that the yarn assumes a Zig-zag shape as it is subjected to the heat setting temperature.

The amount of zig-zag and consequently the number of crimps per inch may be varied by adjusting bearing collar 23 mounted on shaft 22, said collar abutting against end bearing 23 as best seen in FIGURE 1. Since the entire movable assembly is fixed to this shaft, the longitudinal shifting of position of this shaft will change the relation of the crimping elements 27 to the cams 33 and A slight clearance between the members 32 of the crimping elements and the end plate 42 is provided at the positions where the yarn is gripped by the crimping elements to allow for expansion.

Prior to discharge at the end of the crimping path around the circumference of the rotor, the crimping path which was previously zig-zag stra-ightens out in the form of FIGURES 1 to 10 and the yarn is no longer gripped or pinched as it was previously gripped by the crimping elements.

It will be evident that the relaxation of the extent of overlap of the crimping elements is important in the operation of the device of the invention, particularly with the extremely heavy yarns used on carpets and upholstery, to prevent damage to the yarn by pulling the fibers apart and to prevent damage to the crimping elements. The removal of the yarn free from appreciable tension makes certain that the crimp is retained until the yarn is fully cooled, after which the crimp remains set.

Referring now to FIGURES l1 and 12, 'I have discovered that a greatly improved quality of crirnped yarn can be obtained by passing the yarn through a crimping path two or more times rather than once, the crimps imparted on the second passage through the crimping path being out of phase in respect either to longitudinal position or to direction or both with those imparted the first time around. The resulting yarn is so much benefited 7 by this treatment that, as explained later, it is unnecessary to open it up blowing, and adequate bulk is obtained by the crimping alone. This greatly speeds up the process and renders it less sensitive to improper adjustment, requiring less skill for operation.

In the form of FIGURES l1 and 12, the yarn 44 from any suitable source, free from twist, as explained above, is guided desirably by lease-rod 47 and guiding eye 43 to enter a first crimping path 84 and pass around the drum 2% between the crimping elements 27 and 27' as explained above in connection with FIGURES 1 to until it reaches a position 85 at which a circumference has almost been completed. As a result the yarn is crimped in the phase relationship of the crimping elements along the first path The yarn is then withdrawn from. the circumference of the drum and from the crimping path suitably over lease-rod 3d, and then reintroduced to another crimping path 87 between the crimping elements at a position at which the crimping projections are open. Along the second crimping path 37 the crimping projections overlap and a second crimp ing operation is performed. An important feature is that the position at which the yarn enters the crimping projections on the second path 87 is such that the second set of erimps produced are out of phase with the first set of crimps produced. A very remarkable improvement in the yarn is obtained by this second crimping operation.

The yarn is then withdrawn from the second crimping path at 88 in the manner already described.

While the withdrawal from the crimping paths at 85 and 8 may be accomplished at a place where the crimping projections are in line so that the crimping path is open, it has been found that better results are obtained if the yarn is withdrawn while the crimping elements are slightly overlapped so that the path remains serpentine. The amount of pull on the yarn required to do this is not appreciable and therefore does not result in taking out the crimp.

A problem is presented, however, in the form of FIG URES 11 and 12. The shrinkage is so great that to pass the yarn around a second crimping path 87 of the same diameter as the initial crimping path 84 subjects the crimping elements to a great deal of lateral force, tending to damage the machine and tending to abrade or damage the yarn.

FIGURES 13 to 15 show a modified form of the device of FIGURES 11 and 12 which has crimping elements 27 which at one portion of the drum have crimping paths 90 of large diameter and at another portion 20 of the drum have crimping paths 91 of small diameter. This is conveniently accomplished by making the slots 26 extend radially relatively deeper at side 20' than at side 26 Accordingly, the first path 84 is at the large diameter as shown at 99 and the second path 87 is at the small diameter as shown at 91, the difference between the two diameters being that required to allow for the shrinkage of the crimped yarn.

Thus, the machine in the form of FIGURES 13 to 15 is not subjected to any serious stresses and several different yarn ends can be passed through different crimping paths.

The results obtained by passing the yarn twice through the machine are illustrated clearly in FIGURES 16 to 19, inclusive.

FIGURE 16 shows the original uncrimped yarn 44 which may be described as straight filament yarn with no added bulking characteristics. It will be noted that except as pulled apart for illustration purposes, it tends to be very compact. This yarn is shown in FIGURE 16 and at the bottom in FIGURE 19. In an actual example illustrated in FIGURE 19 the yarn used was 1230 denier, 68 filament continuous filament Chemstrand Cadon nylon.

The temperature of heat setting wsed was 350 F. in

this experiment. This yarn after passing once around the crimping drum along path of FIGURE 15 had a very precisely defined crimp as shown at 92 in FIGURE 17 and at the middle in FIGURE 19. Although this yarn has added bulk, the amount of added bulk obtained is quite limited and the coverage in the face of a pile fabric is therefore not very good.

After the above yarn was passed around the second crimping path 87 of FIGURE 15, with the deflecting elements out of phase with the deflecting elements in the first path 84 so that the crimp was different, the resulting yarn has a disoriented crimp as shown at 93 in FI URE l8 and at the top of FIGURE 19. Thus, there is a great deal of loft and the yarn is permanently bulked so it will have good coverage in the face of a pile fabric, without the necessity of blowing or otherwise opening up the filaments.

Yarn textured according to FIGURE 19 was tufted into a pile fabric and du Pont texturized 501 nylon yarn which had 1300 denier with 68 filament, each of threelobed cross section, was tufted under identical tufting conditions to make a similar pile fabric. The du Pont texturized nylon pile had a height of whereas the yarn of FIGURE 19 gave a pile height of The width of the pile made from the du Font yarn as above wa im" and the width of the pile made from the yarn of FIGU'KE 19 was It will be evident that the device of the invention is extremely compact and the space occupied is reduced to a minimum.

It will also be evident that the device of the invention can be applied to treating a single yarn end rather than multiple yarn ends, if desired.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure and method shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for texturing yarn, a rotor, longitudinal guides distributed around the circumference of the rotor in spaced relation, sliders in the guides each extending longitudinally of the rotor distributed around the circumference and slidable longitudinal y to different relative positions, said sliders having a yarn-receiving path extending around the outside of the rotor and having projections on either side of the yarn-receiving path, the projections in one position of the sliders being in line circumferentially and in another position of the sliders overlapping to form a serpentine circumferential yarn path, means for turning the rotor, means for bringing the sliders into alignment at one circumferential position, means for relatively moving alternate sliders longitudinally with respect to intervening sliders at another circumferential position and forming said serpentine circumferential path, means for introducing yarn into said circumferential path at a position at which the sliders are in alignment, means for withdrawing said yarn from said circumferential path, means acting on the sliders after they have overlapped to form said serpentine circumferential path for reducing the overlap of the sliders while retaining overlap of the sliders as the yarn becomes heated to compensate for shrinkage, and means for heating said sliders to a temperature at which the yarn is heat set.

2. In a device for texturing yarn, a rotor, longitudinal guides distributed around the circumference of the rotor in spaced relation, sliders in the guides each extending longitudinally of the rotor, distributed around the circumference and each slidable longitudinally to different relative positions, said sliders having a yarn-receiving path and having projections at either side of the yarn-receiv- 3,1aa,sss

ing path, the projections in one position of the sliders being in line circumferentially and in another position of the sliders overlapping to form a serpentine circumferential yarn path, means for turning the rotor, means for bringing the sliders into alignment at one circumferential position, means acting on the sliders adjacent one end for relatively moving alternate sliders longitudinally with respect to intervening sliders at another circumferential position and forming said serpentine circumferential path, means for introducing yarn into said circumferential path at a position at which the sliders are in alignment, cam means acting on the sliders after they are overlapped to form said serpentine circumferential path for reducing the extent of the overlap of the sliders while retaining overlap of the sliders to allow for shrinkage of the yarn as it is heat set in serpentine form, means for withdrawing said yarn free from tension from said circumferential path and means for heating said sliders to a temperature at which the yarn is heat set.

3. In a device for texturing yarn, a rotor, longitudinal guides extending parallel to the axis of the rotor distributed around the circumference of the rotor in spaced relation, sliders in the guides each extending longitudinally of the axis of the rotor, distributed around the circumference and slidable longitudinally to different relative positions, said sliders having a plurality of yarn-receiving paths extending around the outside of the rotor at different positions lengthwise of the rotor, and having projections at different positions lengthwise of the rotor on either side of each yarn-receiving path, said projections in one position of the sliders being in line circumferentially and said projections in another position of the sliders overlapping to form a plurality of serpentine circumferential yarn paths, means for turning the rotor, means for bringing the projections on the sliders into alignment at one circumferential position, means for relatively moving alternate sliders longitudinally of the axis with respect to intervening sliders at another circumferential position and forming said serpentine circumferential paths, means for introducing yarn into said circumferential paths at a position at which the projections on the sliders are in alignment, means for withdrawing said yarn free from tension from said circumferential paths after said yarn has been heat set, and means for heating said sliders to a temperature at which the yarn is heat set.

4. A device of claim 3, in which the means for withdrawing said yarn free from tension from said circumferential paths withdraws said yarn at a position at which said sliders are still overlapping to form serpentine paths.

5. In a device for texturing yarn, a first set of yarn deflecting elements having projections arranged along one side of a first path, a second set of yarn deflecting elements cooperating with the first set placed individually in position between the elements of the first set and having projections arranged along the other side of said first path, means for heating said elements of the first and second sets to a temperature at which yarn is heat set, means for introducing untwisted yarn into said first path between said projections on said deflecting elements of said first and second sets While they are aligned, means for moving the deflecting elements of the first and second sets relatively toward one another to form a first serpentine path and shape said yarn into crimped form, means for moving said projections of said deflecting elements of said first and second sets toward one another while retaining said serpentine path to allow for shrinkage of said yarn, means for withdrawing said yarn from said first path, a third set of deflecting elements having projections arranged along one side of a second path, a fourth set of deflecting elements cooperating with the third set placed individually in position between the elements of the third set and having projections arranged along the other side of said second path, means for introducing said yarn into said second path between said projections on said deflecting elements of said third and fourth sets while they are aligned, withthe previously formed crimps in said yarn out of phase with the crimps to be formed in said second path, means for heating said elements of the third and fourth sets to a temperature at which said yarn is heat set, means for moving the projections on said deflecting elements of the third and fourth set relatively toward one another to form a second serpentine path and shape said yarn into crimped form to produce second crimps out of phase with the previous crimps, means for moving said projections on said deflecting elements of said third and fourth sets to ward one another while retaining said serpentine path to allow for shrinkage of said yarn, and means for withdrawing said yarn free from tension from said second path after said yarn has received said second crimps.

6. A device of claim 5, in which said means for withdrawing said yarn from said second path withdraws said yarn while said second path is in serpentine form.

7. in a device for texturing yarn, a rotor, longitudinal guides extending parallel to the axis of the rotor distributed around the circumference of the rotor in spaced relation, sliders in the guides each extending longitudinally of the axis of the rotor distributed around the circumference and slidable longitudinally to different relative positions, said sliders having projections at different longitudinal positions defining a plurality of yarn receiving paths extending around the outside of the rotor at different positions lengthwise of the rotor, the projections in one position of the sliders being in line circumferentially and in another position of the sliders overlapping to form a plurality of serpentine circumferentially spaced yarn paths, means for turning the rotor, means for bringing the projections on the sliders into alignment at one circumferential position, means for relatively moving alternate sliders longitudinally with respect to intervening sliders at another circumferential position and forming said serpentine circumferential paths between the projections, means for relatively moving alternate sliders longitudinally with respect to intervening sliders to reduce the overlap of the projections while retaining said serpentine circumferential paths to allow for shrinkage of the yarn in both circumferential paths, means for introducing yarn into one of said circumferential paths at a position at which the sliders are in alignment, means for withdrawing said yarn from said one circumferential path after said yarn has been crimped, means for introducing said yarn into a second circumferential path at a position at which the sliders are in alignment, the crimps formed in the passage through the one circumferential path being out of phase with the crimps to be formed in the second circumferential path, means for withdrawing said yarn from said second circumferential path after it has received a second crimp, and means for heating said sliders to a temperature at which the yarn is heat set.

8. A device of claim 7, in which said second circumferential path is of a relatively smaller diameter than said first circumferentialpath so that allowance is made for shrinkage of the yarn which has been crimped by passing through said first circumferential path.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,321,757 Lodge June 15, 1943 2,636,250 Hemmi Apr. 28, 1953 2,669,001 Keen Feb. 16, 1954 2,696,034 Swartz Dec. 7, 1954 2,812,569 Lawson et al Nov. 12, 1957 2,990,584 Goodwin et al July 4, 1961 3,024,516 Bromley 'et a1. Mar. 13, 1962 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR TEXTURING YARN, A ROTOR, LONGITUDINAL GUIDES DISTRIBUTED AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE ROTOR IN SPACED RELATION, SLIDERS IN THE GUIDES EACH EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE ROTOR DISTRIBUTED AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE AND SLIDABLE LONGITUDINALLY TO DIFFERENT RELATIVE POSITIONS, SAID SLIDERS HAVING A YARN-RECEIVING PATH EXTENDING AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE ROTOR AND HAVING PROJECTIONS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE YARN-RECEIVING PATH, THE PROJECTIONS IN ONE POSITION OF THE SLIDERS BEING IN LINE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AND IN ANOTHER POSITION OF THE SLIDERS OVERLAPPING TO FORM A SERPENTINE CIRCUMFERENTIAL YARN PATH, MEANS FOR TURNING THE ROTOR, MEANS FOR BRINGING THE SLIDERS INTO ALIGNMENT AT ONE CIRCUMFERENTIAL POSITION, MEANS FOR RELATIVELY MOVING ALTERNATE SLIDERS LONGITUDINALLY WITH RESPECT TO INTERVENING SLIDERS AT ANOTHER CIRCUMFERENTIAL POSITION AND FORMING SAID SERPENTINE CIRCUMFERENTIAL PATH, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING YARN INTO SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL PATH AT A POSITION AT WHICH THE SLIDERS ARE IN ALIGNMENT, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING SAID YARN FROM SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL PATH, MEANS ACTING ON THE SLIDERS AFTER THEY HAVE OVERLAPPED TO FORM SAID SERPENTINE CIRCUMFERENTIAL PATH FOR REDUCING THE OVERLAP OF THE SLIDERS WHILE RETAINING OVERLAP OF THE SLIDERS AS THE YARN BECOMES HEATED TO COMPENSATE FOR SHRINKAGE, AND MEANS FOR HEATING SAID SLIDERS TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH THE YARN IS HEAT SET. 